Shattered Angels
Funimation | network = Chiba TV, TV Saitama | first = January 5, 2007 | last = March 23, 2007 | episodes = 12 | episode_list = }} is the title of a Japanese manga created by Kaishaku which was first serialized in the Japanese shōnen manga magazine ''Monthly Dragon Age in May 2006. An anime adapted from the manga aired in Japan between January 5 and March 23, 2007; it contained twelve episodes. The series makes references to many of Kaishaku's past works, namely Kannazuki no Miko, Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto, UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie, and most notably Steel Angel Kurumi. Plot Shattered Angels revolves around the life of Kū Shiratori who is a seemingly normal high school girl who enjoys school life in the giant city Academia, which is thought of as a symbol of recovery for humanity since already ten years have passed since the greatest disaster mankind had ever seen occurred. Kū has recently been having a recurring dream where a prince meets her and takes her away. One day, while all the students at her school are preparing for the upcoming school festival, the prince whom she has met several times in her dreams appears. The prince, whose name is Kyoshiro Ayanokōji, requests of her just as he had done in Kū's dreams, "Let's go, together...." Themes The series melds together several elements both familiar and new. The majority of the main characters appear to be involved in romantic relationships. Kū is often struggling to make sense of who is truly in love with whom. A large amount of kissing is witnessed very early in the series. The Absolute Angels are superhuman in nature and to remain so they must draw energy from a human being through the lips, a theme borrowed from Steel Angel Kurumi. The series breaks from the regular battle etiquette in which the pilot of a mecha climbs into the cockpit. Rather, the Angels materialize and control their mecha from without or manifest specific parts of their bodies into large mechanized limbs. Throughout a battle, an Angel phases in and out of their angelic forms voluntarily and involuntarily. As in Kannazuki no Miko, the names of the mecha are taken from artifacts and iconic figures of Japanese and European mythology. Characters ; : :*Height: 155cm (5'1") :Kū is quite the normal high school girl who feels as if she is drifting through her existence and she always describes herself as being "empty". She never misses a chance to give letters to the mysterious prince in her dreams and frequently talks to him in her thoughts. In reality she is an introverted girl, believing that she lacks good qualities. She appears to be easily overwhelmed by situations that deviate from her previous experiences and expectations. :Her original name is , meaning sky, who is the original Absolute Angel researched by Kazuya and his grandfather. During the incident ten years prior to the main story, Cielo is split into four pieces, Murakumo, Batraz, Claíomh Solais and Megingjord. In addition, Megingjord is separated into two pieces. Kū is the original body, while Valteishia is the soul; this explains Kū's initial feelings that she is lacking something inside. In the end of the series, her body crumbles and she reincarnates as a smaller version of herself. Prior to the end of the last episode, she has dreams of the four Absolute Angels. After the credits of the last episode, Kyoshiro and Setsuna find her near the European Alps, and when she sets her eyes on Kyoshiro she instantly remembers her past life's memories. Her personality and characteristics are drawn heavily from Himeko Kurusugawa from Kannazuki no Miko, meaning that two distinct characters are inspired by her. ; : :*Height: 177cm (5'10") :Kyoshiro is instantly likened by Kū to the prince in her dreams when he transfers to Kū's school from the legendary Jōtō Academy. He is a refined gentleman, adept in horseback riding, and has a tendency to play the violin while deep in thought. Kyoshiro is the youngest of the four children in his family. He supports the Central Student Government and has also stated his intention to recover and destroy all of the Absolute Angels, following what he believes to be the wishes of his deceased brother, Kazuya. He eventually falls in love with Kū, which forces him to re-evaluate his belief about Absolute Angels and the way he has been treating Setsuna. He later admits to Setsuna that he loves Kū and, albeit after some time, Setsuna understands and only agrees to Kyoshiro's plans after she accompanies him to find Ku and says her farewells. ; : :*Height: 156cm (5'1") :Setsuna, also known as "Setsuna of the Moment of Dreams," is the Absolute Angel Claíomh Solais. She fights alongside Kyoshiro as his partner. Setsuna treasures a ribbon bow with bells, which is given to her by Kyoshiro and tied to the right side of her headdress. Rarely expressing any emotion, she is physically beautiful and can carry out every household chore flawlessly, leading Kū to call her a "princess". Setsuna acts solely based on Kyoshiro's orders and wishes, not her own will, and has a habit of saying, "Would you prefer that, Kyoshiro?" She begins to grow jealous of Kyoshiro and Kū's closeness, but she holds back her feelings so as to not trouble Kyoshiro. When Kyoshiro confesses his love for Kū, however, Setsuna fails to restrain her emotions for the first time. In special three of the anime, Setsuna started to copy Kū's actions so she gets Kyoshiro's love and kindness. She later understands Ku's feeling and lets Kyoshiro love Kū. She later accompanies Kyoshiro, after cutting her hair, to find Kū and say her final farewells. She most closely resembles Otowa from Kannazuki no Miko. :Setsuna's Absolute Angel symbol is located on her right arm, which is the dominant hand in Claíomh Solais. ; : :Mika is the ruler of the Higashigetsu Fūma Witch Academy, who is setting forth the domination of all the female students through her right hand, Kaon. She displays signs of jealousy fueled by possessiveness when observing Himiko providing Kaon with energy, and apparently has a vindictive streak, as she punishes those of her subordinates who fail her. Furthermore, she displays signs of megalomania and extreme egomania . Mika is the third eldest child of the Ayanokōji family. She seems to have heterochromia, with her right iris being purple and the other orange; it is later implied that the orange eye may in fact be an implant. Mika suffered injuries during the 'Days of Hot Snow' which obliged her to have hospital stay and she is shown with a bandage covering her left eye. Years later, she seems to be suffering from a potentially debilitating medical condition, despite her usual poise and her much-lauded graces, which is possibly exacerbated by her tendency to provide Kaon with too much of her own Mana. :Mika's own words betray that she desires Murakamo to love no one but herself and she expresses a malicious jealousy and contempt of Himiko, who is much deeper in Kaon's affections than she can apparently hope to be. Mika's flashbacks to her time in the hospital imply that she has fixated on Kaon because Kaon reminds Mika of a similar-looking nurse, who had cared for Mika while she was injured. Other people who bear the brunt of her bile are her elder brother Kazuya, whom she hates absolutely for everything he ever did, including the events surrounding his supposed death, and her younger brother Kyoshiro, who she considers to be 'the demon's tail', with Kazuya being 'the demon'. Mika's intense hatred for Kazuya seems to have originated during her early teens, when he stole away a girl she was developing an affection for, apparently with the explicit intention of hurting his sister's feelings. :Before her death, she entrusted Himiko to rescue Kaon from Kazuya, despite the fact that she hated Himiko because of her closeness to Kaon, and to that end gave her the key to a device she created based on plans drawn up by her grandfather Reitarō. This device is a cello capable of creating a harmony to suppress Mana, thus causing pain to an Absolute Angel—or Kazuya. ; : :*Height: 165cm (5'5") :Kaon, also known as "Kaon of the Lunar Spiral," is the Absolute Angel Murakumo (a reference to the mecha/deity Ame no Murakamo from Kannazuki no Miko.) A student from the Higashigetsu Fūma Witch Academy, she stages attacks on Kū and her friends by order of Mika, although she does not seem to feed on the energy of innocent bystanders as Tarlotte does. Himiko usually appears with her. Despite the fact that she is Mika's sword, she harbors a deep affection for Himiko, although she initially denies that their relationship is of a romantic nature. : is derivative of , her alter ego in Kannazuki no Miko and has been said to be Chikane's reincarnation. She displays a strong desire to protect Himiko, even at a cost to herself, just as Chikane did for Himeko. She has her Absolute Angel mark on her left arm. At one point, Mika removes Kaon's own mark to place her own, after having had her subjected to a torturous process to increase the power of Murakumo and to restrict Kaon to only being able to draw energy from Mika. These events change Kaon's personality and sever her emotional bond with Himiko, to the latter's great distress. Nevertheless, Kaon's true nature and affections still exist underneath the damage done to her by Mika's torments, and she soon overrides Mika's work to protect Himiko from harm. Her mark is restored when Himiko kisses Kaon, expressing her love for her. :In special two of the anime, Kaon goes to visit Himiko and Himiko draws her nude with a blanket. They talk about if they can visit more, but Kaon has to be repaired, a process that could result in memory loss or death; Himiko cries tenderly and Kaon puts her arms around her and says "Don't worry, because I'll be in here." (Meaning in Himiko's heart). Himiko tries to kiss her, but Kaon said "Save that until I come back." Kaon leaves, but Himiko grabs her hand and kisses her anyway. In the ending scenes she and Himiko lives together like their previous reincarnation and in the sixth special, they're shown in a jewelry store, buying two pendants that not only link up to form a heart, but also bear pink seashells, the same worn on a necklace Himeko had in Kannazuki no Miko. ; : :*Height: 160cm (5'3") :Himiko adheres closely to Kaon and is one of Mika's many lovers, although the relationship is not romantic; rather, Himiko is Mika's subordinate in all things, with Mika using her as she sees fit. Himiko has even mentioned that her name was 'assigned' to her by Mika. She is based on the character Himeko Kurusugawa from Kannazuki no Miko and has been said to be Himeko's reincarnation. She certainly initially seems to display Himeko's lack of self-confidence and strong emotional bond with Chikane's counterpart, Kaon, even protecting her and providing her with energy at a cost to her own well-being. Just like Himeko, she eventually displays great determination and courage, motivated by her desire to save Kaon from Kazuya. Like Himeko, she enjoys creating pictures, although Himiko's medium is a sketchbook, rather than a photo camera. Her only subject for her drawings and paintings seems to be Kaon, who has said she enjoys Himiko's drawings very much. She later lives together with Kaon near a beach. :In special two of the anime, Kaon goes to visit Himiko and Himiko draws her nude with a blanket. They talk about if they can visit more, but Kaon has to be repaired, a process that could result in memory loss or death; Himiko cries tenderly and Kaon puts her arms around her and says "Don't worry, because I'll be in here." (Meaning in Himiko's heart). Himiko tries to kiss her, but Kaon said "Save that until I come back." Kaon leaves, but Himiko grabs her hand and kisses her anyway. In the ending scenes, she and Himiko lives together like their previous reincarnation and in the sixth special, they're shown in a jewelry store, buying two pendants that not only link up to form a heart, but also bear pink seashells, the same worn on necklaces Himeko and Chikane had in Kannazuki no Miko. ; : :*Height: 215cm (7'1") :Sōjirō is the second eldest child of the Ayanokōji family. He is a muscular, heavily scarred man who can stop Kyoshiro's sword swings and endure Tarlotte's beatings. Whatever is said or done to Tarlotte by anyone, often it is Sōjirō who endures the wrath of her anger. Despite this fact, he seems to be the one most concerned with Tarlotte's well-being, even providing her with energy when she falls unconscious after a battle, despite the fact that Tarlotte attacks him when she finds him kissing her to provide energy without her permission. Sōjirō not only seems to feel compassion for the people who are temporarily drained of energy by Tarlotte, but expresses feelings of pity for all the Absolute Angels. :Unlike Kyoshiro's and Mika's behavior towards 'their' Absolute Angels, he seems to care for Tarlotte as a person, doing his best to keep her happy and worrying for her safety. In contrast with his siblings, Sōjirō appears to be a peaceful and thoughtful individual, who cares for the fate of bystanders of his own initiative. Sōjirō seems to be aware early on of the way events in his world are spiralling out of control and tries to decide the best way to redress this situation. :Jin Ōgami eventually reveals that prior to his association with Tarlotte, Sōjirō was actually the commander of the Morality Enforcement Squad. After Kazuya kidnaps Tarlotte, Sōjirō seeks out the Squad to get its help in retrieving the Absolute Angels. He reacts with some amusement to the one condition Jin states; that Sōjirō should return to his duties as commander, this despite the fact that he had been branded a criminal for assisting Tarlotte. After the series, he keeps his word and resumes his duties and it is implied that he helps teach Tarlotte kanji. :Sōjirō resembles the Orochi follower Girochi from Kannazuki no Miko. ; : :*Height: 132cm (4'4") :Tarlotte, also known as "Tarlotte of the Aligned Planets," is the Absolute Angel Batraz. Her anger lays waste to all who stand before her, but she has a childish personality and mind to go with her childish body. Tarlotte frequently has trouble finding the right words to express herself. While attacking the academy, she absorbs the life energy of the students. She has a rather odd relationship with her companion, Sōjirō; while she apparently enjoys his food, is jealous of his attention and relies on him to care for her, she frequently vents her frustrations upon him through acts of violence. Nevertheless, when kidnapped by Kazuya, Tarlotte makes it clear that she wishes to be with Sōjirō and no one else. She has apparently held Sōjirō in such high regard since he saved her from the Morality Enforcement Squad, which had been holding her prisoner and conducted experiments on her sometime after the 'Seven days of Hot Snow' event. Tarlotte is later seen in the Onsenyado Academy after the events, experiencing a hot spring for the first time. She accidentally intrudes on Kaon and Himiko, who are also there, but is oblivious to the chaos that follows with Himiko trying to calm an angry Kaon. The final OVA shows her causing trouble during an assembly while chasing a moth. :Her Absolute Angel emblem is located on her right thigh. Her tail is merely attached to her underwear, though it does move to her emotions. Although her design is similar to Nekoko's from Kannazuki no Miko, Tarlotte's name resembles those of Taruto and Charlotte, two characters from Kaishaku's older work Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto. Taruto's character is also voiced by Hisayo Mochizuki. ; : :Valteishia, referring to herself as "Valteishia of the Sun and Solitude," commands the Absolute Angel Megingjord. She has experienced death and reincarnation many times and is now using her fourth body. Valteishia is the current companion of Kazuya and his loyal follower. At Kazuya's command, she apparently suppresses Kū's memories of her time with Kyoshiro and stuns Setsuna so he can take her away. Also, Valteishia likes Kazuya. :When Valteishia explains how the original Absolute Angel Cielo was split into four beings, she clarifies that one of those further subdivided into its body and spirit. Kū is the body of that one Absolute Angel, while Valteishia is its spirit. Lacking a body of its own, this spirit was shunted into a Steel Angel body by Kazuya and became the current Valteishia. Valteishia apparently longs to be restored to her 'vessel', Kū, although she seems to regret some of Kazuya's acts and her own part in them. After the series, she aids a wheelchair-bound Kazuya, who appears to suffer from some mental damage. :Her design is adapted from Valkyrie, of the anime and manga series UFO Princess Valkyrie. ; (10 years prior to main story timeline) : :*Height: 182cm (6') :The eldest son of the Ayanokōji family and a genius, who was involved in the experiments to create Absolute Angels alongside his grandfather. Kyoshiro believes that he sacrificed himself in an attempt to quell the great catastrophe of ten years prior to the main time line of the story. Sōjirō, however, has stated that for all his positive traits, Kazuya was a fool. Mika has added to this that Kazuya was as ruthless as a demon behind his eternal smile and tendency to always be victorious in any challenge. Kyoshiro looks up to him and makes every effort to emulate him, something his brother Sōjirō has advised him against and which arouses Mika's hatred for him. :Kazuya resembles the prince from Kū's dreams even more strongly than Kyoshiro does; her dreams of the prince are in fact memories of the time she spent in the lab, being developed by Kazuya and the other scientists. ;(Present) :Originally depicted as the prince from Kū's dreams and whom she describes to be 'strong, kind, and always has a smile' and clad in all white, Kazuya reappears after going missing for ten years and having been presumed dead. He resembles Tsubasa from Kannazuki no Miko. :The real Kazuya appears to be an evil, even insane person with egomaniacal tendencies, who behaves and speaks in an overly theatrical manner. He did not actually save his younger brother Kyoshiro, but accidentally pushed him into an escape pod when he wanted him out of the way. He generally holds his siblings in contempt, claiming that nothing they have done or achieved equals his own actions and achievements. In the past, he sadistically tormented his younger sister Mika by stealing her first love away. In the present, he brutally beats his brothers and kills his sister. :Upon his return, Kazuya explains that it was he who intentionally awoke the Absolute Angel Cielo against the counsel of his grandfather Reitarō, thus bringing about the 'Seven Days of Hot Snow'. His exposure to a deluge of Cielo's Mana caused him to be transformed into something other than human, capable of using Mana himself. He demonstrates inhuman powers, which usually manifest as thorny vines growing from his hands, with which he can cause vast destruction. He can apparently also teleport and is capable of draining Mana out of an Absolute Angel with a kiss, a clear indication of his inhumanity. His abduction of the Absolute Angels, including Kū, all serve his goal of reuniting them into the original Cielo. To objections voiced both by his grandfather and his youngest brother, that the Absolute Angels could destroy the world if unleashed, he has replied that the destruction of the world is insignificant in comparison with the Absolute Angels' beauty. Kazuya ends up in a wheelchair at the end of the series and appears to be suffering from some mental damage; he is being taken care of by Valteishia. ; : :*Height: 172cm (5'8") :Jin, as the shield of order in the city of Academia, is the leader of the Seventh Public Morality Enforcement Squad. He is based on the character Sōma Ōgami from Kannazuki no Miko, but has a much less forthright personality and seems to be more concerned with the safety of Academia as a whole than the rights of certain individuals. ; : :*Height: 156cm (5'1") :Kozue has been Kū's best friend since they were little and always keeps her in mind. She has her energy drained from her by Tarlotte during one of the latter's attacks on the school Kozue attends along with Kū. She has a fascination with Jin Ōgami. She remains concerned with Kū's well-being after the latter disappears and tries to contact her, though Kū is unaware of this and believes her place at Kozue's side has been taken. Neither of Kozue's parents are with her. She appears to resemble Makoto from Kannazuki no Miko Absolute Angels In the past, mankind had succeeded in making humans that surpassed other humans, indestructible entities called Steel Angels. From there, the research continued and Absolute Angels are created. Setsuna claims that each Absolute Angel has a tool or item which they use to concentrate their powers and manifest their mecha. For Setsuna, this is the pair of bells she wears in her hair; for Kaon, it is her moon-shaped earring; for Tarlotte, it is supposedly her feet; Valteishia may use her staff; it is as yet unknown what Kū's item might be, but it is possible that Valteishia is the key to her transformation as she is Kū's spirit. In Kaishaku's older work, Steel Angel Kurumi, the creator of the Steel Angels is a scientist named Ayanokōji, the same family name as that of Kyoshiro, Setsuna's current master. Furthermore, near the end of Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora an army of Steel Angels is introduced to the storyline as Kazuya's guards. Media Manga The Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora manga, created by Kaishaku, was first serialized in the Japanese magazine Monthly Dragon Age in May 2006, published by Fujimi Shobo, until July 2007. Currently, all three volumes have been released in Japan, the last which came out on August 9, 2007. Internet radio Kyoshiro to Towa no Sora has an internet radio program named running on i-revo TE-A room since August 30, 2006. The hosts are Noriko Shitaya (Himiko) and Junji Majima (Jin Ōgami), who also hosted back when Kannazuki no Miko was running. Corners * * * Guests *Sayuri Yahagi (Kū) (episodes 5, 6, 11, 12) *Yuki Matsuoka (Setsuna) (episodes 7, 8) *Hitomi Nabatame (episodes 13, 14) Anime The anime aired in Japan between January 5 and March 23, 2007, containing twelve episodes. The series was licensed by ADV Films, but the license was transferred over to Funimation Entertainment in July 2008 who released the whole series on February 24, 2009. Episodes Theme songs ;Opening theme: by CooRie ;Ending theme: by Ceui Light novel A light novel by the name of Kyoshiro and the Eternal Sky -Prelude-'' was released in Japan on February 20, 2007. See also *Kannazuki no Miko'' *''Magical Nyan Nyan Taruto'' *''Steel Angel Kurumi'' *''UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie'' Notes and references * * External links *Official manga website *Official anime website *[http://www.funimation.com/shatteredangels Shattered Angels] at Funimation * Category:Anime of 2007 Category:Fantasy anime and manga Category:Fujimi Fantasia Bunko Category:Funimation Entertainment Category:Manga of 2006 Category:Mecha anime and manga Category:Romance anime and manga Category:Shōnen manga Category:Yuri Category:Light novels es:Kyōshirō to Towa no Sora it:Kyōshirō to towa no sora ja:京四郎と永遠の空 fi:Kyōshirō to Towa no Sora zh:京四郎與永遠的空